Switch-board for electric-lighting systems



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1.

R. P. SAWYER. SWITCH BOARD FOR ELECTRIC LIGHTING SYSTEMS.

Patented Sept. 30, 1890.

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

R. F. SAWYER. swrrcn BOARD FOR ELECTRIC LIGHTING SYSTEMS.

No. 437,516. Patented Sept. 30, 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT F. SANVYER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SWITCH-BOARD FOR ELECTRIC-LIGHTING SYSTEMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 437,516, dated September 30, 1890. Application filed December 11, 1889- Serial No. 333,379- (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT F. SAWYER, a citizen of the United States, residing in Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switch-Boards for Electric- Arc-Light Stations, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to obtain a switch-board for electric-arc-light stations upon which may be placed the terminals of the several dynamos generating the electric currents by which the line-circuits, also having terminals upon the switch-board, are oper ated, and a switchboard upon which may be placed short-circuit terminals of short circuits adapted to be used in the changes necessarily incident to the employment of switchboards at electric-arc-light stations, and to obtain a switch-board adapted for the rapid switching out and in to the several line-circuits of the several dynamos located at the station.

To accomplish these purposes my invention involves the construction of a switch-board having thereon, first, spring-contact dynamocircuit terminals secured to the back of the switch-board, such terminals having in front thereof openings in the switch-board eXtend ing through such switch-board and being at the back of the board permanently attached to the dynamo-wires; second, spring-contact line circuit terminals and spring contact short-circuit terminals, both of such terminals being secured to the back of the switch-board, with two openings through the switch-board in front of each thereof, and one of such openings being upon guides extending across the switchboard, the spring-contact line-circuit terminals having permanently secured thereto at the back of the switch-board the linecircuit wires in substantially the same manner as the dynamo-wires are secured to the spring-contact dynamo-circuit terminals, and the line-circuit and short-circuit terminals being also adapted to be electrically connected at the will of the operator with each other and with the dynamo-terminals by plugs inserted from the front of the switch-board through that one of the openings in front of such line and short-circuit terminals upon the line of the guides extending across the switchboard, such spring-contact line-circuit and short-circuit terminals being also adapted to have the negative pole of each thereof. connected with its positive pole by plugs inserted through the other of the openings in the switch-board in front of such line and short circuit terminals; and my invention requires in a switch-board having terminals of the character named such construction that the electrical contact'of the terminals may be broken by a movement of all the plugs extending through openings in the switch-board on the line of the axis of such openings, and also that the plugs extending through the openings on the guides running across the board, and in front of the line and short-circuit terminals, by moving such plugs in such guides atright angles to such axis.

I have illustrated myinvention by the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of the switch board; Fig. 2, a sectional view on line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a perspective view (detached from the switch-board) of a spring-contact line-circuit terminal; Fig. 4, a perspective view of a spring-contactshort-circuit terminal; Fig. 5, a perspective view of the doubleended spring-contact dynamo-circuit terminal; Fig. 6, a sectional view of the spring-contact dynamo-circuit terminal on line 6 6 of Fig. 5; Fig. '7, a perspective view of the removable plug used by me and hereinafter termed the transfer-plug, Fig. 8, a perspective view of a non-conducting handle used in combination with my switch-board and adapted to detachably engage with four of the transfer-plugs when such transfer-plugs are in position in the openings provided therefor in the switch-board. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the complete circuit from dynamo A to the switch-board, through that to linecircuit No. 2, out and return on such circuit, from circuit 2 to circuit 6 over the switchboard, out and return on circuit 6, and from thence to dynamo A{ over the switchboard, and also showing by dotted line diagram of the short-circuit wire by which circuit 6 is short-circuited.

Like letters and figures refer to the same IOO parts as such part is shown in different views.

N represents negative and P positive T poles or wires.

X is the switch-board.

X X are grooves extending entirely across the switch-boardl M M are notches in grooves X X, forming the openings through which the transferplugs, hereinafter to be described, may be inserted, and back of which the several springcontact line and short circuit terminals are placed.

A, B, C, and I) arethe dynamo-terminals electrically connected upon the back of the board with the several dynamos A, B ,G and D by wires, which are ind icated,respectively, by the dotted lines a b c d in Fig. 1, extending from the switch-board X to such dynamos, respectively, and back to the switch-board.

E E are openings through the switch-board in front of the positive-wire dynamo-terminals'of dynamo A, and E E are like openings in front of the negative-Wire dynamo-ter- 7 minals of said dynamo A.

F is a spring-contact dynamo-terminal,two of which are secured upon the back of the switch-board at each of the dynamo-terminals indicated by the letters A, B, C, and D, one

I to be'permanently connected with the positive. wire extending to the dynamo and the other to be permanently connected to the negative wire extending to the dynamo.

f is the head on spring-contact dynamo-terj minal F, with which the transfer-plug, hereinafter to be described, comes electrically in contact when such transfer-plug is inserted in the hole in frontof head f through the switch-board. In dynamo-terminal A these holes in the switch-board in front of head f body are lettered E, E, E and E as before stated. is a spring extending from head f to the f of terminal F. v

' f is the hole in which the wire extending from the terminal to the dynamo is inserted, and f? is a binding-screw securing the wire firmly in electrical connection with the "ter' minal.

f is the hole through which the nail or screw securing the terminal to the switchboard is passed.

Gis' a short-circuit spring-contact terminal, which is secured to the back of the board by a screw or nail passing through the hole g.

g is the head forming a part of terminal G, which is back of the holes or openings formed by the notches M M in the grooves X X.

g is a spring rigidly secured at one end to head g and at the other end to body part of the terminal G.

G is a hole in the terminal G, which comes in front of a like hole in the switch-board, and into which hole the plug G can be inserted. Plug G is electrically connected by wire G to a second plug G the wire being of sufficient length to permit one of the plugs G to be inserted in the positive and the other of such plugs in the negative of either the short-circuit or line-circuit terminals, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, and is hereinafter termed the short-circuit plug.

H is a spring-contact line-circuit terminal. h is a head thereon; h, a spring rigidly attached at one end to head h and at the other end to body part it of the terminal H.

77. is a hole through which the line-circuit wire. is threaded, and h a binding-screw securing such wire firmly in position.

is the hole in spring-contact line-circuit terminal, by which it is secured to the switchboard, such hole being lettered the same as is the hole in spring-contact short-circuit terminal G, through which the screw is passed to secure it to the switch-board.

G is a hole in short circuit spring-contact terminal H, serving the same purpose as does hole G in spring-contact line-circuit terminal G-t-hat is, as a hole into which short-circuit plug G may be inserted.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, Fig. 1, are the wires forming the line-circuits having terminals in the switch-board.

2 and 6 are line-circuit lights (in diagram view) of line-circuits 2 and 6, respectively, Fig. 9. w y

I I are pieces of porcelain or other non-conducting material inserted in the switch-board between each of the heads 9 of the circuits 1 to 6, both inclusive, and the heads h of the short-circuit terminals.

K is the transfer-plug. K is electrically connected with the part of the transfer-plug which comes in contact with heads f, g, and h, respectively, of the several terminals when the transfer-plug is inserted in the switchboard in the openings in front of the termi-. nals. To the extension K there is electrically connected wire la, which has at the other end electrically connected thereto another like transfer-plug. Transfer-plug K is adapted to be inserted through openings in the switchboard and electrically connected to any and each of the several dynamo, line-circuit, and short-circuit terminals F, G, and H.

K K are lugs or cars on the non-conducting handle of the transfer-plug K. K K are holes in such ears K L is a coupling having bars ll, handle Z, and pins or rods L. Rods L fit into holes K K on the transfer-plug K, and the four bars L L L L on coupling L fit into the holes on two adjacent positive and their accompanying negative terminals when the transfer-plugs are in serted in the switch-board.

It will be noted that the several line-circuit Wires numbered 1 to 6, both inclusive, are permanently securedto the spring-contact linecircuit terminals H at the back of the board, and are therefore indicated by dotted lines.

The detachable wires k upon the switchboard are all placed upon the face thereof, and electrical connection is made with such detachable wires by placing the plugs secured at each end of such wires in the several openings before the terminals described. These removable wires connect with, first,the springcontact dynamo-terminals and the springcontact line-circuit terminals, thereby forming a continuous electrical way from the dynamos through the switch-board out to the line-circuit and back through the switchboard to the dynamos; second, from the dynamo-terminals to the short-circuit terminals; third, from the short-circuit positive to the short-circuit negative terminals, or from the line-circuit positive to the line-circuit negative terminals by inserting the plug G in the hole G in the several terminals.

An electrical way is formed by inserting the transfer-plugs in the dynamo-terminals and the short. circuit terminals, when the short-circuit negative and positive terminals are connected by the plugs G being inserted in holes G from the dynamos to the shortcircuit terminals over the short circuit and back to the dynamos. Then the plug G is inserted in the line-circuit terminals, the linecircuit is short-circuited, and the current, in place of extending from the dynamos to and through the switch-board out on the line-circuit and back and then through the switchboard to the dynamos, will extend to the switch-board over the short circuit and back to the dynamos. This is well illustrated in Fig. 9, where the short-circuit wire is indicated by a dotted line'lettered G WVhen the short-circuit-terminal plugs are inserted in the switch-board, the current will not extend over line-circuit 6 and through light 6, but in place thereof will extend through wire G line-circuit 6 being thus out out.

Before explaining the operation of my improved switch-board I will briefly state the manner in which the several removable wires are coupled in the drawings, Fig. 1, and the circuits formed thereby.

The transfer-plug inserted in opening E of dynamo-terminalsAelectricallyconnects with one of the duplicate positive poles of the terminal. The transferplug inserted in the positive terminal of line-circuit 2 is electrically connected by wire 70 with the one inserted, as last described, in hole E by the wire connecting the two transfer-plugs in the ordinary manner. One of a pair of transferplugs electrically connected by wire 70 is inserted in the negative terminal of line-circuit 2, and the other of the pair is inserted in the positive terminal of line-circuit 6. One of a third pair of transfer-plugs electrically connected by wire it is inserted in the negative terminal of line-circuit 6, and the other of the third pair is inserted in one of the duplicate negative terminals of dynamo-terminals A. Short-circuit plugs G2 G are inserted in the positive and negative short-circuit terminals to the left of line-circuit terminals of line-circuits 2 and 6. The short-circuit plugs G inserted as last described, are not in the drawings electrically connected with any dynamo, but are in readiness to become connected in and back on such line-circuit 2 to the nega-.

tive terminal thereof and to the transfer-plug inserted in the said negative terminal, then over the wire in front of the switch-board to the transfer-plug inserted in the positive terminal of line-circuit 6, then out over such line-circuit 6 and back to the negative ter minal thereof, and then from the transferplug inserted in such negative terminal of line-circuit 6 over the wire in front of the board to the transfer-plug inserted in hole E electrically connecting with one of the negative terminals of dynamo A, and then back to the dynamo A, thus completing the circuit. In Fig. 9 a diagram of these circuits is shown.

' It is evident that by pulling from the board any one of the several transfer-plugs through which the current passes, as described, both line-circuits 2 and 6 will be opened, thereby burning out the switch-board connections in the several terminals nearest to the dynamo unless suitable provision is made to prevent such burning out.

To cut out or short-circuit line-circuits 2 or 6 and prevent the burning out referred to, insert one of a pair of short-circuit plugs G G in the negative terminal and the other in the positive terminal of such line-circuits. This operation is rarely done in the practical operation of the switch-board, as usually'it is desired to transfer one line-circuit to another dynamo that is, to switch in an additional dynamo either to one or the other or both of the line-circuits.

If it is desired to switch dynamo B in to work line-circuit 6 and at the same time to cut dynamo A out of such circuit, the operation is: One of a pair of transfer-plugs is inserted in one of the positive terminals of dynamo B, and the other of the pair is inserted in the positive terminal of the spring-contact short-circuit terminals to the right hand of the positive terminal of line-circuit 6. A pair of short-circuit plugs G2 G is inserted in the circular openings underneath such short-circuit terminals. The dynamo B may then be started, the current generated thereby being short-circuited at the switch-board and the circuit closed. A second pair of short-circuit plugs is inserted in the negative and positive terminals of the short-circuit terminals to the left of the negative and positive terminals of line-circuit 6. Over the short circuit formed by the insertion of the last two named short- ICC IIO

circuit'plug's the current generated by dynamo A will pass when line-circuit 6 is cut out, as about to be described. Coupling L is then secured to the transfer-plugs in the terminalsof line-circuit 6 and to the transfer-plugs in the short-circuit terminals to the right thereof, as illustrated in the drawings. The four transferplugs thus coupled together are then slid along in the grooves X X, each to the next adjacent notch to the left hand of the one in which it is illustrated as now being in Fig. 1. The current generated by dynamo A will then extend from the dynamo to the positive terminal thereof, then to the positive terminal of line-circuit 2, then out on line-circuit 2 and back again to the negative terminal thereof in the switch-board, then to the shortcircuit terminal to the left of the positive terminal of line-circuit 6, then through shortcircuit plugs G G to the short-circuit terminal to the left of the negative terminal of line-circuit 6, then to the negative terminal of dynamo A, and from there to the dynamo. The current generated by dynamo B extends from the dynamo to the positive terminals thereof, then to and through the transfer-plu g inserted therein to the positive terminal of line-circuit 6, out on line-circuit 6 and back again to the negative terminal thereof in the switch-board, then through the trans fer-plug inserted in such negative terminal (by the sliding of the transfer-plugs, as described) to the transfer-plug inserted in one of the negative terminals of the dynamo. If at this timethat is, with the several plugs inserted as last described and with dynamo A. working line circuit 2 and dynamo B working line-circuit 6it is desired to switch dynamo G in to work line-circuit 2, thus entirely cutting out dynamo A from all work, the operation is: Insert a pair of short-circuit plugs G: G in the circular openings underneath spring-contact short-circuit termi nals to the left of the positive and negative terminals of line-circuit 2. Insert one of a pair of transfer-plu gs in the positive terminal of spring-contact short-circuit termin als to the right of the positive terminal of line-circuit 2 and the other of the pair in one of the positive terminals (1 of dynamo C. Insert one of a second pair of transfer-plugs in the negative short-circuit spring-contact terminal to the right of the negative terminal of circuit 2 and the other of the pair in one of the negative terminals of dynamo-terminal 0. Place the coupling L on the transfer-plugs in the negative and positive terminals of line-circuit 2 and also on the transfer-plugs inserted in the short-circuit terminals to the right thereof, as illustrated in Fig. 1. Then by the movement of the coupling to the left synchronously slide the four transfer-plugs to the next adjacent opening on the left of where they now are. The electric current generated by dynamo A will then extend from the dynamo to one of the positive terminals therefor, then to the short-circuit terminals to the left of line-circuit 2, through such terminals, and through the short-circuit plugs G G inserted therein, then to the dynamo terminals A, and back to the dynamo. The dynamo may then be stopped. The current generated by the dynamo G will then extend to one of the positive terminals thereforinthe switch-board, (lettered C), then over the transfer-plug to the positive terminal of line-circuit 2, then out on the line-circuit and back to'the negative terminal thereof, through the transfer plug inserted in such negative terminal to the negative dynamo-terminal in which the other of the pair of transfer-plugs is inserted,

properly arranging the several transfer and short-circuit plugs required anyof the dynamos A, B, C, orD' may be made to work any one of the line-circuits 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,and 6.

Having thus described my invention. what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is I 1. The combination, in a switch-board for an electric-arc-light station, of guides extending across the switch-board, a spring-contact dynamo-terminal secured to the switch-board on the back thereof in front of openings through the switch-board, spring-contact line circuit and short-circuit terminals placed on the line of the guides and in front of openings extending through such guides, and

2. The combination, in a switch-board for an electric-arc-light station,'of duplicate dynamo-terrninals secured on the back of the board, with openings in front thereof for the insertion of one of a pair of transfer-plugs in each of such terminals, line-circuit terminals I secured to the back of the switch-board,with

two openings extending through the switchboard in front of each of such terminals, shortcircuitterminals, alsosecuredto theback of the switch-board, on each side of the line-circuit terminals, each of such short-circuit terminals having two openings in front thereof extending through the switch-board, and plugs electrically connected in pairs adapted to be placed through the several openings in the switch-board and electrically connected with the terminals secured on the back of the an electric-arc-light station, of duplicate dynamo-terminals secured on the back of the board, with openings in front thereof extendin g through the switch-board for the insertion of one of a pair of transfer-plugs in each of such dynamo-terminals, line-circuit terminals secured to the back of the switch-board, with two openings extending through the switch board in front of each of such terminals, short-circuit terminals, also secured to the hack of the switch-hoard, on each side of the line-circuit terminals, each of such short-circuit terminals having two openings in front thereof extending through the switch-board, 

